Desperate Measures was formed in 1989, a group of singers from Portland, Oregon, who enjoy complex harmonies and challenging vocal music. Working in anywhere from three to six parts, the group takes arrangements to the level of vocal orchestrations, weaving a tapestry of sound to the glory of God.
After serving their apprenticeship by singing arrangements from other sources, the group began performing their own music, working in a variety of musical styles including vocal jazz, contemporary, traditional choral, madrigal, latin, celtic and even bluegrass. However, their focus remains rich a capella harmonies and vocal jazz.
The dynamics of a typical Desperate Measures rehearsal made it inevitable that comedy would soon become part of their ministry. They began writing material that addressed lessons God was teaching in their own lives, forcing themselves to reveal a lot more than was comfortable in the hope of encouraging others to face, laugh at, and then let God deal with similar issues.
The group uses staged pieces, musical numbers, choreography and old time radio drama to get their message across in a fashion that is edifying, challenging, but easy to swallow. "First make them laugh, then make them think." They address topics such as the media, marital fidelity, gossip, temptation, witnessing, church-hopping, teen sex, a religious spirit, and letting your past become an excuse for sin.
In 2000 group released their first CD. The results are, as the group likes to say, 'More fun than anyone should be allowed to have.'
